Returning from our summer sojourn to Grenada meant lighting a fire under the boat yard to finish all the projects we had planned. We knew from experience that no matter how clear the plans, little gets done if you’re not around to make it happen. So, John sweated many trips from our room on-site to the boat to the various workshops in the yard for six days and, lo and behold, everything that could be done, got done as indicated in the previous “Grenada” posting.
Once we departed, it took 12 hours to sail overnight to Trinidad. Along the way, we kept an eye out for exploding drug boats but didn’t see any. Several of the drug boats targeted by the US military have been hit just off the Paria peninsula of Venezuela which extends eastward from the northern edge of the country to within 12 miles of Trinidad. Our course took us just a few miles from that edge of Venezuela so we were keeping our eyes open as we approached the channel closest to Scotland Bay in the map, below. As you can see in the current map, vast amounts of ocean flow through the channels around the islands of Trinidad which can make for a very dangerous sea state. We planned our arrival close to slack tide but still had about 4 knots of current, disconcerting in a channel only 100 yards wide. We anchored in Chaguaramas, the hub of cruising in Trinidad and spent 10 days catching up with friends and sightseeing as much as we could. First up though, was checking in. Trinidad is still in the dark ages on this front as everything is hand written with multiple carbon papers required in a process that took over three hours. It was like being back in Latin America! Fortunately, they have announced that they are joining the Sail Clear system that the rest of the Caribbean uses, so fingers crossed for the future.
We rented a car and of course our first stop was Fort George, high above the capital city, Port of Spain. Built in 1802 and considered impregnable, it never saw action. Most of the walls are gone now but the views are magnificent.
The large open green space in the first photo above is called Queen’s Park Savannah. A zoo and the world’s oldest botanical gardens (1818) are on the north side and the main open area is surrounded by fancy old mansions, embassies, parliament and a performing arts center. We checked it out by car and on foot in absolutely pouring rain. The huge Anglican cathedral, our first destination, is undergoing a massive restoration so we got soaked for nothing. But hearing steel drums nearby (invented in Trinidad) we found ourselves at the official opening of carnival season. It was being televised so I suspect my wife is now a star for dancing with a gorilla in the pouring rain!
The next day we went with friends to the “bamboo cathedral,” a huge park on the northwest corner of the island. It is filled with capuchin and red howler monkeys living in the vast bamboo forest in the flats. We were fascinated by the tufted capuchin monkeys banging nuts on the bamboo to open them after hiking a couple miles up the mountain to an abandoned 1950’s US ballistic missile tracking base. John ignored the do not climb signs and we had a grand time exploring the huge, crumbling buildings. The hike was steep and the sweat came in buckets as we passed “motivational” writings on the path.
Another day we drove part of the north coast to Maracas Bay, a popular beach. One of the unique dishes we found in Trinidad is the “Bake and Shark” and it is THE dish served in Maracas. Obviously we had it and found it to be delicious. Huge servings of fried shark served with a choice of sides and sauces. After lunch we explored Fort Abercromby, a couple bays over. Be sure to read the sign to learn the fate of this one. No mention of what they did to that C/O…
The national dish of Trinidad is called Doubles. Think sloppy, open burrito. It’s hot curried chickpeas served on two offset fried flatbreads. You eat it standing up and “slurp it” is the rule. No utensils. Always sold in the morning by street vendors, cost less than an American dollar, filling and incredibly good. We ate a lot of them!
Another adventure took us to the southwest corner of Trini, to the Pitch Lake. Just like the La Brea Tar Pits in Los Angeles, but a thicker consistency. It is the world’s largest deposit of asphalt and was “discovered” by Sir Walter Raleigh who was shown how to caulk his ships in 1595. He brought barrels of the stuff back to England as it was a better consistency than what was available in Europe. In 1887 an American was given the first commercial concession and he exported huge amounts to America, where it was used for the first paved roads on the US east coast. It currently covers the roadways of Buckingham palace and is still used widely on race tracks and airport runways around the world. M-F they drive a bulldozer onto the lake and fill the rail cars several times a day. It is refined on site and roughly 2 million tons a year is exported. The lake naturally refills, seeps methane and kerosene and we saw small fish in the rainwater that collects on top. A local tour guide took us on a fascinating walk right out onto the lake. (Remember, always negotiate the price up front!)
Back on Queen’s Park Savannah one evening, we took in several steel pan bands who will be competing soon.
We had a good weather window to cross the strong current to Tobago so we stopped at the island of Chacachacare, where a leper colony existed from 1922 to 1984. We explored some of the buildings and had a hose connection break on our front wash down pump-something we don’t even use! It took a while but we figured out a temporary fix. The 14 hour overnight sail to Tobago was mostly a motor as we were into the current the entire time. But we arrived with friends and explored the main town of Scarborough and its very large Fort King George, built in the 1770’s. After just a few days we had to return to Grenada to fly back to LA for a family emergency. Fortunately, as of this writing, Theresa’s father is back home and recovering well from a heart procedure.
Just before we flew home, and after searching everywhere in town for a proper end cap for that water line, two other Leopard 45s arrived in our anchorage. John stopped by and the first boat had an exact spare! And where did they get it? From the other boat just a few weeks prior. Seems to be a common problem so we are returning with several spares.
